O'Reilly Needs Some Kindergarten Level Sex Education

If Bill O'Reilly had recieved some age appropriate sex education when he was in Kindergarten, maybe he wouldn't have freaked out tonight when his guest Debra Haffner, author of From Diapers to Dating, mentioned the word " uterus". BOR wanted to discuss Barack Obama's statement at the Planned Parenthood Forum that he approved of age appropriate sex ed starting in kindergarten. Haffner kindly and patiently explained what the kindergarten sex ed curriculum might cover and she made so much sense that O'Reilly was beginning to agree with her until she said that scary U word. 7/19/07video added 7/20/07

Haffner told BOR the children should learn about family roles, gender differences and touching issues. O'Reilly wanted to know what she would say about babies insisting that teachers should send the kids to parents for information. Haffner started to say that kids should learn that babies grow in the uterus and Bill yelped, " NO! " as if she said something shocking and controversial.

Haffner gently explained that kids need to know the words for body parts. O'Reilly was visibly upset and said learning about the uterus was " Blasting them out of childhood. Blasting them into an area where they can't process."

Haffner reminded him that kids need the language so they can talk to adults comfortably. O'Reilly seemed a bit uncomfortable himself when they got on to the topic of good and bad touching. He rambled about how the terms instill fear in kids but he thought fear was good.
His discomfort seemed to increase when Haffner calmly said penis and vulva were also important words for five year olds to learn and use.

comment: Obviously O'Reilly hasn't spent much time with five year olds. He needs to realize that kids are around pregnant women constantly. Their mothers, relatives, neighbors and teachers get pregnant and the kids watch the babies grow and ask to feel the kicks. Invariably the kids in my school ask the same question. " How can you eat if the baby lives in your stomach?" That's when you need to explain the difference between the stomach and the uterus and the kids are usually relieved that the baby isn't covered with chewed up food. However, usually another five year old will enlighten their friends about the convenient uterus and I have yet to see any child "blasted out of childhood" as O'Reilly suggested.

Today I heard someone from Mitt Romney's campaign carrying on about Barack Obama's comment. I was half listening from the kitchen and didn't get all the words but she sounded outraged and shocked as if educating children from the start in an age appropriate way was subversive . She also referred to Planned Parenthood as a "far left" organization as if it hadn't played a constructive and monumental role in advancing every woman's reproductive freedom. I couldn't help wondering if she would be able to be a major player in Romney's campaign if Planned Parenthood had not raised awareness of family planning generations ago.

Debra Haffner invited O'Reilly to attend a sex ed class in her church. I think O'Reilly needs to go so he might understand there are other ways besides Jessica's Law to keep the kids safe. Maybe he'll find out that the names of female body parts aren't dirty secrets that need to be whispered.